Not even the biggest sporting event in the world is immune from the economic downturn it seems. The Playboy gala, which has been a showcase prior to the big game for the past nine years, will not be taking place this year in Tampa. Sports Illustrated also called off its party and the NFL reduced the price of some Super Bowl seats for the first time in history.
Even the most-watched sporting event in the U.S. “is not immune to the effects of an economic downturn,” said Amanda Holt to Bloomberg, a spokeswoman for the Tampa Bay Super Bowl Host Committee, which lowered its fundraising goal to $7 million from $8 million.
Spending has dropped across the board for the Feb. 1 game in Tampa, Florida, said Alex Sink, chief financial officer for the state. In more sumptuous times, “I walked into the commissioner’s party and there was a huge bowl of caviar,” Sink said. “I guarantee you won’t see that this year.”
That sort of thing does not affect the regular fan, however, and Super Bowl visitors are still expected to pump about $150 million directly into the local economy during Super Bowl weekend, although that is 22.3 per cent less than when the 2008 championship was in Glendale, Arizona, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers.
If you're coming to Tampa, stay in Anna Maria. Check out the best in vacation rentals at annamaria.com
Wednesday, 28 January 2009
Monday, 26 January 2009
FEMA must update mapping system says report
Hi map lovers!
Here is a story which should interest everyone living in Florida, whether or not you have ever experienced flooding to your property.
It comes in a story on the science website sciencedaily.com and makes for thought-provoking reading.
It says: Significant loss of life, destroyed property and businesses, and repairs to infrastructure could be avoided by replacing Federal Emergency Management Agency flood maps with ones that contain high-accuracy and high-resolution land surface elevation data, says a new report from the National Research Council.
The benefits of more accurate flood maps will outweigh the costs, mainly because insurance premiums and building restrictions would better match the actual flood risks. Coastal region flood maps could also be improved by updating current models and using two-dimensional storm surge and wave models.
Flood maps are used by FEMA to set flood insurance rates, regulate floodplain development, and inform those who live in the "100-year" floodplain of potential hazards, and they require continuous maintenance and revision due to land development and natural changes to the landscape. FEMA's Map Modernization Program of 2003 to 2008 resulted in digital flood maps for 92 percent of the continental U.S. population, most of whom live in areas that had outdated maps or no maps at all. However, after a $1 billion investment, only 21 percent of the population have maps that meet all of FEMA's data quality standards.
For this reason, FEMA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration asked the Research Council to examine the factors that affect flood map accuracy; assess the costs and benefits of producing more accurate maps; and recommend ways to improve mapping, communication, and management of flood-related data. In response, the committee that wrote the report collected and analyzed information on selected streams in Florida and North Carolina and on the economic costs and benefits of creating new digital flood maps in North Carolina. Information from the North Carolina Floodplain Mapping Program, which has high-accuracy topographic data and maps for nearly the entire state, allowed the committee to compare new and traditional mapping methods among three distinct topographical regions: mountains, rolling hills, and coastal plains.
For more on this story click here
Here is a story which should interest everyone living in Florida, whether or not you have ever experienced flooding to your property.
It comes in a story on the science website sciencedaily.com and makes for thought-provoking reading.
It says: Significant loss of life, destroyed property and businesses, and repairs to infrastructure could be avoided by replacing Federal Emergency Management Agency flood maps with ones that contain high-accuracy and high-resolution land surface elevation data, says a new report from the National Research Council.
The benefits of more accurate flood maps will outweigh the costs, mainly because insurance premiums and building restrictions would better match the actual flood risks. Coastal region flood maps could also be improved by updating current models and using two-dimensional storm surge and wave models.
Flood maps are used by FEMA to set flood insurance rates, regulate floodplain development, and inform those who live in the "100-year" floodplain of potential hazards, and they require continuous maintenance and revision due to land development and natural changes to the landscape. FEMA's Map Modernization Program of 2003 to 2008 resulted in digital flood maps for 92 percent of the continental U.S. population, most of whom live in areas that had outdated maps or no maps at all. However, after a $1 billion investment, only 21 percent of the population have maps that meet all of FEMA's data quality standards.
For this reason, FEMA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration asked the Research Council to examine the factors that affect flood map accuracy; assess the costs and benefits of producing more accurate maps; and recommend ways to improve mapping, communication, and management of flood-related data. In response, the committee that wrote the report collected and analyzed information on selected streams in Florida and North Carolina and on the economic costs and benefits of creating new digital flood maps in North Carolina. Information from the North Carolina Floodplain Mapping Program, which has high-accuracy topographic data and maps for nearly the entire state, allowed the committee to compare new and traditional mapping methods among three distinct topographical regions: mountains, rolling hills, and coastal plains.
For more on this story click here
Thursday, 22 January 2009
Big Apple leads the way
Hi there map lovers!
As is so often the case, New York seems to be leading the way with a great technological innovation. This time visitors to the Big Apple will be able to take advantage of a brand new website which uses Google Maps to guide them to the city's major attractions.
The computing website, computerworld.com. reported the story this week.
Its report says: 'The informational website, created jointly by the city and Google Inc., aims to help visitors and residents find what they're looking for in the Big Apple. In a blog post on the on the Google website, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said he hopes that nycgo.com becomes the official online resource for tourists and residents looking for an activity or a place to go.
The website uses Google Maps to help users find their destinations, as well as get directions on how to get there. The information can also be sent to cell phones via Google Maps for Mobile.
"In partnership with Google, we are launching a new Web site and Information Center to help make it easier for both visitors and residents to explore all the energy, excitement and diversity of New York City's five boroughs," wrote Bloomberg. "So whether you are a visitor or a resident, we invite you to explore New York City from your home computer, your mobile phone -- and of course, in person."
So if you're visiting NYC don't forget to log in to nycgo.com for all your tourist needs. And don't forget to send us a postcard either...
Make the most of your trip to Florida, stay in a wonderful vacation rental home from annamaria.com Don't just come to Anna Maria Island, stay here
As is so often the case, New York seems to be leading the way with a great technological innovation. This time visitors to the Big Apple will be able to take advantage of a brand new website which uses Google Maps to guide them to the city's major attractions.
The computing website, computerworld.com. reported the story this week.
Its report says: 'The informational website, created jointly by the city and Google Inc., aims to help visitors and residents find what they're looking for in the Big Apple. In a blog post on the on the Google website, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said he hopes that nycgo.com becomes the official online resource for tourists and residents looking for an activity or a place to go.
The website uses Google Maps to help users find their destinations, as well as get directions on how to get there. The information can also be sent to cell phones via Google Maps for Mobile.
"In partnership with Google, we are launching a new Web site and Information Center to help make it easier for both visitors and residents to explore all the energy, excitement and diversity of New York City's five boroughs," wrote Bloomberg. "So whether you are a visitor or a resident, we invite you to explore New York City from your home computer, your mobile phone -- and of course, in person."
So if you're visiting NYC don't forget to log in to nycgo.com for all your tourist needs. And don't forget to send us a postcard either...
Make the most of your trip to Florida, stay in a wonderful vacation rental home from annamaria.com Don't just come to Anna Maria Island, stay here
Monday, 19 January 2009
Everglades, ever fascinating
Hi there map fans!Check out this great map of a part of Florida we all know and love - the Everglades. It's a huge area, best seen from an airboat obviously, and here is an exhaustive map showing the visitor centres, tourist offices, picnic zones, speeding restrictions, camp grounds, boat launches... It is not intended for use as a navigation map - we hope that all you captains out there already have one of those - but as a guide to the area it's second to none. Download the pdf here
The Everglades National Park, the largest subtropical wilderness in the United States, boasts rare and endangered species. It has been designated a World Heritage Site, International Biosphere Reserve, and Wetland of International Importance. For more information from the Everglades National Park Service, click here
Tuesday, 13 January 2009
All odour the world
Hello map lovers!
How's your sense of smell today? Good I hope, because you could join in the world's first odour map, thanks to a Japanese website which is mapping the world by its smell.
The BBC reports that members of the 'Nioibu' or Smell Club have posted descriptions of more than 160 odours from around the world. The scents range from 'cats with halitosis' in Kamakura, Japan, to 'verbena soap' in Paris, according to AP.
All that is missing, said a spokeswoman for Nioibu, is a 'smelling function'.
"That is our next challenge," said Kayo Matsubara, from Kayac Inc, which runs the Japanese-language Nioibu.com website.
Other scents that Nioibu's 'smellists' - as members are called - have posted include 'steam coming out of a rice cooker' and 'used socks in the summer'.
You can view the site here but you might have to brush up on your Japanese first...
How's your sense of smell today? Good I hope, because you could join in the world's first odour map, thanks to a Japanese website which is mapping the world by its smell.
The BBC reports that members of the 'Nioibu' or Smell Club have posted descriptions of more than 160 odours from around the world. The scents range from 'cats with halitosis' in Kamakura, Japan, to 'verbena soap' in Paris, according to AP.
All that is missing, said a spokeswoman for Nioibu, is a 'smelling function'.
"That is our next challenge," said Kayo Matsubara, from Kayac Inc, which runs the Japanese-language Nioibu.com website.
Other scents that Nioibu's 'smellists' - as members are called - have posted include 'steam coming out of a rice cooker' and 'used socks in the summer'.
You can view the site here but you might have to brush up on your Japanese first...
Thursday, 8 January 2009
Civil action
Hello there map lovers!
Check out this map of the part Florida played in the civil war. The decisive battles are all shown, mostly in the north of the state, but two important skirmishes at Fort Brooke and Tampa are also explained in detail.
Click on this link to get to the main site
Monday, 5 January 2009
Growing in the Florida sun
Happy New Year map lovers!
Hello and welcome to 2009. Let's hope it turns out to be better than all the doom merchants are predicting.
To get us off to a good start, check out this map from the University of Florida. It features the four growing zones found in Florida.
As it says, some plants grow easily across the entire state, but others need the specific conditions of a particular zone in order to thrive. This page provides information on Florida plants, sorted by zone.
Follow this link to view the map, a bigger version of the one below. It is most interesting.
Hello and welcome to 2009. Let's hope it turns out to be better than all the doom merchants are predicting.
To get us off to a good start, check out this map from the University of Florida. It features the four growing zones found in Florida.
As it says, some plants grow easily across the entire state, but others need the specific conditions of a particular zone in order to thrive. This page provides information on Florida plants, sorted by zone.
Follow this link to view the map, a bigger version of the one below. It is most interesting.
Stay on Anna Maria Island, Florida. Check out annamaria.com for the best in vacation rentals
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